Raise the Titanic
NR

An underwater race to salvage the Titanic and its vital defence cargo. Adapted from Clive Cussler's international best-seller, the story follows the exploits of American special agent Dirk Pitt, as he sets out to recover vital material from the Titanic which could make the US impregnable to atomic attack.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Sorry, I am so tired of "dog pile on the rabbit" with this movie. It was the Waterloo for Cussler and Lew Grade, and had the grave mistiming of premiering as they found the real Titanic. Here was Dirk Pitt riding the Titanic in NYC harbour when footage was shown of the real Titanic on the ocean floor - in pieces.But you know - SO WHAT? This is FICTION not a documentary. This film has SO MANY people lining up to take potshots at it because it was "shooting fish in a barrel". People grumped because the Titanic could not be raised - OH, is this the first time Hollywood did not follow TRUTH, but opted for fiction? Others grumped it did not follow the book (a Book I loved!) and again I am forced to asked, since WHEN did they EVER really follow a book. By definition, films rarely match a book, because it's not "your" imagination on the film. So toss that ruler out going in.Did you know they play this film on Bravo? Seems other see something worth viewing. Bravo does not play dogs!What are you left with? A great, fun sea adventure with the wonderful, late Richard Jordon as Dirk Pitt. You have great backup work from Jason Robards, David Shelby (Quinton from Dark Shadows) and well stocked with solid character actors for support. Nicely done effects, and well paced suspense. Add the wizard John Barry's so beautiful score, this is great fun!So stop taking the easy road of trashing a film for not living up to real life or not living up to the book. Just enjoy it.And accept the beauty of seeing Titanic sail into NYC harbour as our wishes of what we wanted to see. I think in our hearts, we always wanted to see the Titantic whole and raised again... You might find, it's an enjoying time after all.

Seriously, this is one of my favorite movies! Granted it's got a hackneyed script and having a nuclear submarine head off the Russians (we were still in the "Cold War" remember?) was a bit far fetched, but what makes it a favorite is:

Richard Jordan - Always a treat to watch act, no matter if he is playing Harley on the Equalizer or General Armistead in Gettysburg.

Sir Alec Guiness and Jason Robards for the same reasons.

The best part - the first 15 minutes when you have the excellent John Williams score interspersed with photos of the actual Titanic before it's maiden voyage. Not even James Horner, with Cameron's Titanic comes close. It brings back the feeling of the era and the pathos of man thinking that humans could design a "ship that God, himself, couldn't sink".

This is definitely worth a watch even if you find you don't like it. It's a couple of hours well spent.

I'm sick and tired of all the negative reviews for this film. So it didn't follow the book 100%. But it had some top quality acting, great action pieces, and awesome visual effects. Buy it and watch it. And please, don't diss it! Grade: A-

Yes, I love this film. There is something about RAISE THE TITANIC that continues to draw me to it. If I were unbiased I know that this is not one of the best films ever made and is probably not even considered a good film by many. However, beyond two scenes that I actually consider truly and exceptional good filmmaking, there is a hokey but appealing quality to this film that I cannot seem to shake. I still remember the first time I saw RAISE THE TITANIC. What impressed me most about the entire film was its prologue. It was a montage of black & white photographs depicting the construction, the launching and the setting sail of the Titanic on its maiden voyage. The montage was accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful piece of music composed by John Barry. In this short yet effective composition John Barry captured the majesty of the Titanic, the romanticism of the sea and the mystique of Britain's maritime heritage in what I consider to be one of the best pieces of film scoring that I ever heard. John Barry's score seems more inspired by the actual tragedy of the Titanic and the unknown dangers of the cold Atlantic waters. Despite the shortcomings of the film, which can probably be attributed to weak editing and not necessarily the script, John Barry's music remains focused on the ship and the sentimentality its tragedy holds for Richard Jordan and Alec Guinness. Jordan and Guinness seem to be quixotically tied to the sea. The scene where Alec Guinness reminisces over his experiences aboard the sinking of the Titanic is a haunting and beautiful piece of histrionics. Guinness' heartbreaking sentimentality as he reverently hands over to Jordan the flag he took from the sinking Titanic many years before is one of the best pieces of film I have ever seen.Read more ›

People watch this movie for the soundtrack. Forget the acting. the Titanic is the Star. Clive Cussler is a brillant author and Dirk Pitt is the all american hero (James Bond, Indiana Jones and Macgyver all rolled into one) who gets a little short changed in this novel adaption. Watch the watch movie, buy the soundtrack and then listin to it while reading the book.

I have this great film in VHS and is a "must have" when the DVD is released. The creative imagination and special effects done were a tribute to this magnificent ship. It also created a realm of possibility to the viewer's imagination. Even now knowing the Titanic will never be raised, it is the best of all the Titanic movies.